CHAPTER 331: AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN DENIS AND GABRIEL

Tania reached out, letting her fingers trail over his chest. "You have become even more handsome," she drawled, her eyes burning with desire. "Your body is irresistible. You still attract me. If you want to bring back what we had, I won’t stop you."

She held his gaze. "And don’t worry, Gabriel will never know."

Denis remained silent, his eyes fixed on her. Though disgust churned inside him, he didn’t push her away. He wanted to see how far she could see.

This was her true nature—shameless, unmasked. He wasn’t surprised; deep down, he had always known Tania was like this. The only regret was that he had realized it too late until he had hurt the woman who had once loved him sincerely.

Mistaking his silence for consent, Tania’s confidence swelled. She reached up to stroke his cheek. "I missed you. I’ve thought about you all this time." Her gaze lingered on his lips. "The moments I spent with you were the happiest of my life."

A flicker of yearning lit her eyes as she searched his face. "Believe me or not, I truly like you."

Denis gave a sharp, derisive snort and pushed her hand aside. But Tania slipped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.

"I know you want me too," she murmured with a hint of desperation. "We can be together again. This baby—it’s a mistake. Gabriel was drunk that night. I only took him to my place to help him, nothing more."

Denis pried her arms off his neck and tried to step away.

But Tania clung tighter, seizing his hands in desperation. "I didn’t know he would force himself on me that night," she said breathlessly. "I never expected to get pregnant. I didn’t want to burden you—or any of the Beaumonts—but the baby came when I least expected it."

With a sharp jerk, Denis yanked his hands free.

Tania gasped at the roughness, yet she refused to give up. She kept explaining, "The doctor told me that if I aborted the child, I might never conceive again. I had no choice but to tell Gabriel. Honestly, I thought he’d turn his back on me and the baby. But instead, he said he wanted the child. It’s a surprise to me as well that he was ready to take the responsibility for us."

Denis’s lips curled into a sneer as his eyes burned into her. Trusting her once had been the biggest mistake of his life, and he would never repeat it. Looking at her now, he saw nothing but pretense— the fake innocence, the calculated words, the staged helplessness.

Tania had always been skilled at twisting the truth and acting pitiful to lure others into her web of manipulation, gaining sympathy.

Back then, he had been blind, falling for her lies without question. Now that her mask had slipped, all he felt was loathing. His entire being recoiled at her presence; she sickened him so much that he didn’t even want to waste his breath speaking to her.

"We are only together because of the baby," Tania insisted. "There is no love between us. I never wanted to steal your mother’s place. It’s just... the circumstances left me no choice. My neighbors didn’t want me living in that apartment anymore. They were about to throw me out. If Gabriel hadn’t stepped in, I don’t know what would have become of me."

She gave him a pleading, apologetic look. "I know you are angry with me. Your mother despises me. She’ll be furious if she learns Gabriel brought me into his house. But he only did it to protect the baby. He doesn’t want his child to suffer."

The mention of his mother snapped Denis’s patience. His restraint crumbled, and he finally spat out his fury. "Finished with your lies?" he hissed. "You may have tricked my father with your crocodile tears, but don’t think you can fool me. I see you for exactly what you are."

"I’m not lying," Tania protested desperately. "It’s all true. I swear I never wanted to ruin your parents’ marriage..."

"Enough," Denis’s voice boomed, his eyes blazing. "Spare me your deceit. I’m not falling into your trap. Just looking at you makes me sick. I always knew you were a cheater, a liar, a manipulative woman, but this level of shamelessness..."

His gaze swept over her with sheer disgust. "You are disgusting."

Turning away, he moved to leave.

"Denis..." Tania reached for his hand, but he yanked it free.

She stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Ah..."

Denis stopped in his tracks, glancing back at her.

"My stomach... hurts," she gasped, clutching herself in pain.

A flicker of regret crossed his face. For a moment, he hesitated, torn between his hatred for her and the instinct to help.

"Tania!" Gabriel’s voice thundered through the hall, making Denis flinch.

Denis spun around to see his father rushing toward them.

Gabriel immediately crouched beside Tania. "What happened? How did you fall?"

"He pushed me," Tania whimpered, pointing at Denis. "He barged in, shouting, accusing me of driving Jeanne away. I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen to me. Then, in his anger, he shoved me down."

Denis froze, disbelief flooding him. Just moments ago, she had been trying to seduce him, and now she had completely transformed, painting herself as the victim and blaming him for something he hadn’t done.

"I didn’t push her," Denis said fiercely. "She fell on her own."

He had only pulled his hand away from her grip, never intended to push her. But Gabriel wasn’t listening.

"You ungrateful brat," Gabriel roared. "She is pregnant, damn it. And you dare push her down? Do you want to kill the baby?"

"Dad—"

"Don’t call me that." Gabriel’s voice cracked with rage. "I am not your father."

The words struck Denis like a blow to the chest. He staggered, breathless, as if the air had been ripped out of his lungs. "You... you are saying this?" he muttered in shock. "You are cutting me off—for her!"

A sharp ache twisted in his chest. "Mom is missing." He gritted his teeth. "We have no clue where she is, no idea if she is even safe. And you—you don’t seem to care. Instead of looking for her, you bring your mistress into our home. And now you are accusing me of trying to kill her child."

At the mention of Jeanne, Gabriel’s chest tightened with a stab of guilt he had tried hard to bury. But anger quickly smothered the feeling.

"Don’t bring her up," he snapped harshly. "She walked out of this house on her own, vanished without a word. Why should I chase after her? If she chose to leave, that’s her decision."

Denis’s lips curled with fury. "She is your wife, yet you don’t care—because of that woman." He jabbed a finger at Tania, his voice rising with accusation. "She destroyed your marriage, drove Mom away. I’ll never forgive her for that."

His face hardened, consumed with rage. "If I find out anything has happened to Mom, I’ll never forgive you either. I’ll tear you both apart."

With a glare of pure hatred at Gabriel, Denis turned and stormed out.

Gabriel’s chest constricted as he saw a glimpse of Augustine in him. For the briefest moment, he thought he wasn’t looking at Denis but Augustine. The same burning rage, the same unforgiving hatred that he had noticed in Augustine’s eyes, now blazed in Denis’s.

His pulse spiked, a cold sweat breaking across his back.

What he had feared the most now clawed to the surface: Denis and Augustine—two blood-bound brothers—uniting against him. The thought alone made his gut twist with dread.

He could almost see them standing side by side, coming to take revenge on him for the sins he had committed in the past. His breath grew shallow.

"Gabriel..." Tania’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He turned quickly, helping her up and guiding her to the sofa. "Stay here. I’ll call the doctor."

"There is no need," she said, shaking her head lightly. "The pain has gone. I’m fine now." She squeezed his hand, letting out a faint sigh. "What worries me more is Denis’s hatred toward me. I’m afraid he might try to harm me or the baby."

"Don’t worry," Gabriel reassured her firmly. "No one will lay a finger on you." His jaw tightened, his tone darkening with resolve. "He is acting boldly because of the power and wealth I allowed him to enjoy. But he seems to have forgotten—I can take everything away and leave him with nothing."

The thought of Denis joining hands with Augustine sent a chill through him, stoking his fury. ’No... I won’t let it come to that. I’ll destroy him before he has a chance to strike me.’

Tania’s heart brimmed with satisfaction. This was exactly what she wanted—Gabriel cutting Denis off, isolating him. Without Denis’s support, her next move would be far easier. But she hid her triumph behind a mask of worry.

"I’m so scared," she said warily, nestling her head against his shoulder. "All I want is to deliver this baby safely."

Gabriel drew her closer, wrapping his arm protectively around her. "Don’t stress. Denis won’t be able to harm you."

But inside, his mind was already racing. Denis had become a ticking time bomb. He knew too much—secrets that could ruin him instantly. And with Denis determined to find Jeanne, the threat had only grown.

’If you’ve chosen to defy me, don’t blame me for being ruthless,’ Gabriel vowed in the dark corners of his mind.